An Empire of Liberty

On June 4th 1845 the Second Pacific Northwest war began, with a colonial declaration of war. Saskatchewan was claimed by October 30th, and the much lengthy work of pacifying British Alberta began, the capital Edmonton falling on January 3rd. Because of the fiscal restraints imposed by the last Scott only had two divisions of mounted infantry at his disposal, but aside from partisans there was no resistance, the British empire being bogged down in a series of wars on the Indian subcontinent. Still despite the efforts of a British spy who was executed on July 15th and an outbreak of partisan resistance across Alberta, Alberta was occupied in whole and British Columbia was claimed on June 21st 1848. However the British Lion refused to make peace on our terms and on March 15th 1849, the Treaty of Vancouver was signed. It recognized or claim to Saskatchewan and the southern half of British Columbia, which was made a state that very day, while the northern half and Alberta in whole was returned to British rule.

During the war the game of Baseball came into national prominence, the first recognized game being played in New York city June 17th 1846, quickly spreading from the city to others in the East, including Brooklyn, Boston, Providence, Philadelphia and Cincinatti. And on July 7th the Smitshonian endowment was recieved by congress and put to work building a national museum. Tragicly Zachory Taylor, hero of the Mexican War died in a fall from his horse on September 16, 1848, a mere month before he would have surely have been elected President of the Union. Thus the WHigs were denied victory which went to the Democrat Lewis Cass of Michigan.

Abroad the French & the Belgians once more warred upon the Prussians to see who would be the master of the Rhine, howeverdespite once again taking the upper hand in the early years the Prussians battled back and achieved a white peace. The Russians overran the Ottomans once, spliting the country in two with the new Russian border reaching British Syria. Meanwhile the Dutch managed to aquire vast swathes of the African interior in several shady diplomatic deals with the British, while Spaniards claimed much of the northern part of the continent.

In late 1848 word reached the capital that gold had been found in the mountian streems of northern California, and soon thousands men from all over the world flowed there and $500,000 in gold flowed into the government coffers. (what can I say, I needed to cut my debt or I was sunk o ) This was a goodsend to the treasury which could now begin paying down the debt rather than struggle against interest payments that multiplied exponentialy.

On the Political scene, the Whigs robbed of victory in '48 by the premature death of Taylor, dissolved and it's adherents threw their weight behind the Free Soil party, giving them a stunning upset in the 1850 congressional elections. This was greeted with suspiscion and despair in a south affraid of the parties free labor rhetoric. It was clear if they tried to back up their words with deeds the country would be torn apart.

The only action of diplomatic import to take place in this time period was the dispatchment of Perry's mission to open Japan to American trade, sent of on January 20th 1850.

The next few years were a blur of economic and industrial epansion, raising revenues, lower taxes and elimination of the national debt. In July of 1852 the nation's currency was put on a silver standard, and on November 27th 1853 Wisconson became a state. Finaly on August 26th of 1854 the debt incurred by rapid industrialization, the Mexican War and the New Mexico-Arizona purchase was paid off. The United States of America was now ranked 4th in Industial might among the world's powers.

coz1 said:

The Gold Rush - is that an event, or did you just pass yourself a bit of spending (or debt relief) money? Just curious - my first game was with the US but I don't remember the events very well.

And nice elaboration on the baseball event. I love that it's included in the game and I thought you described it very well.

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I cheated o I have problems enough with this kind of thing in real lfe, so I'm not too good with the economy o

Yah, I love baseball, big Red Sox fan.

How about Lewis Cass, there's a candidate forgotten by history. I just took American History 141 From Colinization to Reconstruction last semester and I don't remember him even being mentioned. I had to google up Taylor's opponet when he up and died a month before he would have been historicly elected. However it was fortunate because it allowed me to explain the Free Soil party victory somewhat plausibly. Harrison dead a month after election, Taylor a month before. Obviously the Whigs were fated to go down in flames.

Over the next year defense spending was increased, regiments brought up to full strength and 17 divisions were placed upon the Mexican/American border, with the main striking forces gathered in southeasten Texas and nothern California. Surely after being so badly mauled in the last war, less effort would be needed to subdue her once more and fufill America's manifest destiny. On May 15th 1856 war was declared upon Mexico in the hopes that conflict with a foriegn foe would unite the country and make it's citizens forget their sectional differences. Would this hubris be punished? The Kansas-Nebraska act giving popular soverignty to the territories had been passesd on February 10th and it seemed as if they were slowly sliding into a guerrilla conflict that could engulf the entire nation in civil war.

skkrrt said:

Nice AAR , easy to read and gets the points across.

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Thanks, I should have it updated through the 2nd Mexican War by the end of tonight.

The war was on. The 1st Corp under Scott and the Army of Observation under Patterson plunged deep in to California sweeping away any and all oposition, while Redding skirted the Gulf Coast hammering through incredibly heavy resistance on his way to Mexico city. However Mexican strength had been underestimated, they had 20 divisions within striking distance of the border, and they tore great swathes of the American southwest from Union controll. 3/4ths of Arizona, 2/3rds of New Mexico, and 3/5ths of Texas fell beneath the heels of the brutal Mexican army, which shot without trail many hispanic citizens for "colaboration with the Yanquis". Yet once again, despite their numerical superiority overall, they couldn't concentrate them enough to achieve strategically important goals. All they could do was occupy the empty prarie.

Still their invasion of Texas was a potentially fatal blow to our campaign. They were on the verge of cutting of Reddings supply line and occupying the entire state. One with a considerable percentage of US industry and one of the fastest growing populations in the Union. Accordingly command of the three shattered divisions that had fallen back to Houston from Dallas and eastern Arizona were given to a Captain McCllelan, who had just returned from observing the seige of Istanbul in the second Russo-Ottoman war. He melded them into an efficient fighting force, beating back two Mexican armies,then taking back Dallas and Corpus Criste, cutting off 13,000 Mexicans poised to cross the Mississippi,destroying them to the last man.

Redding died in battle on the 5th of September 1857, ten days before his army battered it's way into Mexican City. They had suffered heavy casulties, three of six divisions destroyed, and their supply line was soon cut, leaving them besieged in the Mexican capital, but it was to little, too late. On September 18th the last bit of California occupied by the enemy, Sacramento, was liberated. Scott than moved down the Baja Penninsula and Patterson fought his way into Arizona were he was soon joined by Scott returning in triumph from the Baja.

Despite the fact that the forces holding Mexico City had lost 60% of their strength, and were unlikely to hold another month, the Mexican government was forced to call for a cessesation of hostility on American terms on the 21st of December 1857. Mexico City was devestated by the constant battle, it's people starving, and on every front Mexican arms were in retreat, and two divisions were cut off in Nevada. They had no choice, they ceded all of Nevada and California to the United States. And so ended the costliest war in American history to this point, four divisions had been destroyed outright and only one had to come into the line to replace it. Yet despite this great victory the country remained divided and it seemed as though these hardened veterans would soon ride again.

The second one is just a red x for me.

Morpheus506 said:

Same here

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Well, it was just a map showing a modern southern border.

I've played through 1867, I'll try to get that up as soon as possible.

Get ready for lots of over the top patriotic melodrama There's going to be war stretching into the 70's and will end with the ruin of one the worlds two greatest powers, or maybe both.

We, therefore, the People of South Carolina, by our delegates in Convention assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, have solemnly declared that the Union heretofore existing between this State and the other States of North America, is dissolved, and that the State of South Carolina has resumed her position among the nations of the world, as a separate and independent State; with full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent States may of right do.


With these words the state of South Carolina seceded, and reaped the whirlwind, a bitter wind of hatred and bloodshed that would bring war on a scale unimaginable and a smoldering insurgency that would last years after the great battles had ended; until unprovoked invasion by a great foriegn power, seeking nothing less then world domination brought Americans back together into one people; under God, indivisble, with liberty and justice for all.

Sorry I haven't posted in this in a couple of weeks. I will probably finish this eventually. But I've had an insane amount of work at school. Four papers in the last week, and I've gotten wrapped up in the Languish mp game as the Neatherlands. So I don't know when I will be able to update this next.